In response to “Right to bear arms not absolute” (by Anthony Carli, Sept. 24):

The beauty of having a fundamental human right is that there is little impetus to explain myself and why I choose to exercise it. However, we live in a culture of disinformation and propaganda; more so than the gun culture that is such a blight to your lives.

We also have a culture of super offensive assault speech, radical beliefs of the right to a trial and extremist beliefs that searches and seizures require a warrant. Last time I read the Constitution, the Second Amendment read as: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.”

See that last comma? “The right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed,” is a standalone clause. Arms are weapons, and we’re fortunate that the living, breathing constitution allows for modern versions of weapons.

Something that’s a bit overly obvious is that this shooting occurred in a Navy yard, where men trained, trusted and paid to be safe and proficient with their weapons are not trusted to carry any weapons on a military base. Not to mention that firearms are effectively banned from the Navy yard and the surrounding Washington D.C. area; both of which are the heart of this country where government and military men and women swear oaths to defend the Constitution.

Unfortunately for those who dedicate their lives to turning graves into soap boxes, this shooting spree was committed by a man with a shotgun and a pair of handguns here. No AR-15 rifle?

Maybe next time people die you can jump for joy that disarmed and defenseless people were murdered by an “assault weapon.” Rifles of any sort made up approximately 4.47 percent of murders in 2010, according to the FBI.

Speaking of “assault weapons,” I would like people to think about what an assault weapon is. What is the definition of one?

What calibers do they use? What turns a squirrel gun into an assault rifle? It’s a buzzword for no other reason than to elicit fear and shouldn’t be used in discussion. An assault rifle is a technical term based on the Sturmgewehr Model 1944, literally “storm,” or “assault rifle,” is a weapon firing an intermediate projectile in select-fire mode.

AR-15 is not an assault rifle. It’s not an “assault weapon.”

It’s a sporting, hunting, and self-defense firearm that’s loved for its accuracy, reliability, lack of over-penetration and ease-of-use. The only way to obtain an actual assault rifle is in the ballpark of $10,000 and a year or two of government red tape.

People need to be educated on proper use and safety of their firearms, and background checks are a good way to prevent guns from the wrong hands. America is a land of freedom, and I’ll keep my rights and freedoms to defend myself and those that I love.

The vilified and disrespected gun-loving community, myself included, do not accept association with these murderous degenerates, nor do we deserve to be treated as such. Collective responsibility is a very fascist concept.

We have no intent of giving up our rights based on people with ill-informed emotional reactions and the power-mongering of those with too much power. My rights are not up for negotiation.

– Eric Tompkins is a public health senior.